Katie Taylor makes her U.S. debut

13 Jul Katie Taylor makes her U.S. debut

Irish boxing star Katie Taylor will make her U.S. debut on July 29th in an eight-round bout on the undercard of the super lightweight showdown between Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Although Taylor’s bout will not be part of Showtime’s telecast in the United States, her participation in this card is indicative of the rise of women’s boxing. Taylor, a five-time world amateur champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, made her professional debut in November 2016. Although Taylor trains out of Connecticut, all of her professional bouts have taken place in England. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, Taylor’s promoter, previously stated that Taylor could explode in the sport of boxing, similar to the way that Ronda Rousey made her mark in the UFC.

Taylor has aspirations of becoming a big name in professional boxing. She previously said to The Telegraph, “I’d love to win a world title, unify the belts, and try to go up the weights and try to win belts at higher weights too. I’d like to do what the likes of Ronda Rousey has done in the UFC and become a big name in professional boxing, and raise the profile of the sport. UFC take their female fighters very seriously, and they claim equal billing to the men on the shows. That’s huge, and that’s why a lot of boxers are turning to UFC.”

According to ESPN Sports, Hearn stated,

“I’m so pleased to see Katie make her American debut on such an outstanding card. I believe Katie is the most entertaining and dangerous fighter in women’s boxing, and has already lit up many venues in her professional journey, most recently Wembley Stadium on the Anthony Joshua versus Wladimir Klitschko card in front of 90,000 on April 29. She is one of the biggest stars in Ireland, and we are expecting fantastic support from the Irish community on the East Coast for her first U.S. experience.”

The talent pool in women’s boxing is steadily expanding. With Olympians Marlene Esparza and Claressa Shields making their transitions into professional boxing, promoters may have already acknowledged the widespread success of female talent in the UFC and other mixed martial arts organizations. Taylor certainly has the potential to be a kingpin in women’s boxing. With her polished technique, snappy jab, and swift combination punching, she will be a challenging opponent to anyone she faces in the future. Let’s see if Taylor can make the same impression on U.S. soil as she already has in the UK.